This race, although most often found in the Ancient Lands, can be encountered in many regions of the world, and in many of them, it has become famous for its explosive temperament. Most Knuroses live a life full of adventures and fights, as they engage in caravan raids, robberies and plundering. They are a terror to villages and small towns that do not have enough soldiers to repel their invasions. Their habitats are in dense forests, where their settlements are well guarded against law enforcement officers. There they divide the loot and plan their next expeditions. They are reluctant to accept strangers unless they offer a lot of gold. They often appear on wanted posters, of which they are extremely proud and which they treat as distinctions. Most individuals are extremely suspicious of magic, which makes their bristles stand on end.
When communicating with other races, they often interject grunts and squeals between words, trying to throw the interlocutor off balance. If you stay calm or start squealing yourself, you can gain in the eyes of the Knuros, otherwise a fight is inevitable. The provocative Knuros does not intend to kill such an interlocutor, but only wants to prove his superiority and strength in a fight. After the fight, the conversation can continue, but there is no doubt who is right. Another interesting feature of these individuals is their great tendency to brag and they do it at every opportunity. During the conversation, they will not only mention their valuables, but also describe in detail their possessions, the splendour of their current sty-cavern and mention the great talent of their little knurlets. An individual who falls into the depths of self-admiration often becomes the target of ridicule behind his back, and many times, it ends with a dagger in his back. This, of course, is no reason for other individuals to change their behaviour. On the contrary. The Knuros who committed the murder out of envy always, at every opportunity, reminds others how he dealt with the rich talker. While talking about his achievements and wealth, he does not notice that his closest companions are already preparing their daggers against him.
The overwhelming desire to have wealth and the tendency to fight for it means that packs of Knuroses are often employed as mercenaries. As long as their client has the gold and unless someone else pays them more, the Knuros units remain loyal. Of course, there may be polemics between the Knuroses and their employer regarding the quality of the completed task. Mercenaries always believe that they have completed the assigned tasks very well, even when all evidence proves otherwise. The only solution then is to stand your ground and warning them that they will not be paid in full. With grunts of dissatisfaction and angry looks thrown their way, they will consider your complaint. Interestingly, it is the person who negotiates hard with the Knuroses who gains in their eyes. Those who easily agree to their terms are targets of ridicule.
Knuros bands most often use huge axes, which they decorate with loot captured from their enemies. They despise small weapons, believing their size and strength to be unmatched. They decorate their belts with more valuable loot, which is a sign of their status and power. They never leave their valuables in settlements. Firstly, they have to show everyone their riches, and secondly, their women, called Lohhas, quickly make use of the leftover gold. It is no different with cubs who, from an early age, steal treasures from their elders, lying and denying all accusations, even when caught red-handed.
Although this is extremely rare, an exceptionally large and cunning individual can raise what could be called an army of Knuroses. This happens rarely, due to internal disputes, but history has shown that there were armies whose leaders wanted to prove that everyone must take them into account. Such arrogance is very impressive to other individuals and they may want to join something that can be impressive and give a lot of gold. This means that cities and even lands that are unable to face the Knuros army can save themselves by paying a sufficiently large ransom. This is most often the beginning of the end of the army. Having gold immediately causes quarrels and the desire to organise large and quite expensive feasts. The reconstruction of such an army can only take place when the bottom is visible in their pouches.
Usually, the first seeds of an army are young people prone to bravado. It happens that they value the opportunity to impress everyone around them more than gold. This makes them the perfect fry, willing to make great sacrifices just to be able to boast about their achievements after the fight. Many of them meet a miserable fate, but the new warriors seem unaware that a similar fate may befall them. In bursts of laughter and squealing, they mock the fallen, believing that they will fare much better. This is a moment when experienced commanders rarely speak up. Young Snouts, as they are called, receive their first weapon and jump into their first battle.
Knuros have a rather unusual approach to the issue of faith and gods. The innate fear of something they do not understand sometimes plunges them into a whirlwind of blind faith. Such fanatics are often called Black Acolytes, led by the most experienced and familiar with matters of faith, the Old Father. He openly condemns magic as something that clouds the mind and cannot be trusted. He instills in his followers that only prayers lead to happiness and wealth, using himself as an example. The Old Father is always rich in wealth, which comes from his followers, trade in questionable devotional items, theft and punishment for blasphemy.
When seeing representatives of this race, it is easy to notice that many are constantly irritated or have a grimace of dissatisfaction. It often takes on the expression of rage, which, if it cannot find an outlet, may turn into grumpiness and a tendency to blackness. This mainly applies to older Knuroses who, seeing the perversity of fate and the omnipresent injustice, sink even deeper into wailing, drinking and fighting.
Despite constant quarrels and fights, the Knuroses stick together because it is better not to trust their own pack than strangers. Many inhabitants of the Ancient Lands believe that Knuroses are worse than wandering bands of Orcs and Goblins, because they are unpredictable and can attack in anger regardless of the consequences.
Our Mosst Famus Mercenory Packs
The Goldfangs, the Stinky Forest Punks, the Bloody Hoofs, the Blont but Big Axes, the Eyes Saw Where They Got Punched, the Smartest Bunch, and the Neighborhood Snouts with the worst reputation.
The Goldfangs – individuals from this pack prefer to replace lost fangs with golden ones
Stinky Forest Punks – they paint their fists and fur up to the elbows blue
Bloody Hoofs – one or both of the hooves and legs up to a half-length are painted red
Blont but Big Axes – half of the snout and the axe are always painted black
Eyes Saw Where They Got Punched – the eye area is painted yellow
Smartest Bunch – the bristles of these individuals are painted white
Neighborhood Snouts – the area around the snout is always painted green